French academic held in Iran accused of ‘collusion’: Lawyer
October 28, 2019, 9:28 am

French academic held in Iran accused of ‘collusion’: Lawyer

An aerial view of Tehran. (File photo AP)

A French academic held in Iran for four months faces charges of collusion after being arrested alongside a Franco-Iranian colleague accused of espionage, their lawyer said in a report Monday.

Roland Marchal, a researcher at Sciences Po in Paris, was arrested in June together with Fariba Adelkhah, an academic at the same university.

Marchal had come to Iran to visit Adelkhah and was accused of “collusion against national security”, Saeed Dehghan said, quoted by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

But the lawyer said the reasons for the charges were still unknown to him.

“Up until this moment, the reasons for my clients’ charges, which according to Article 32 of the Constitution must be given alongside the charges, have not been mentioned,” Dehghan said.

“It seems that Mr Marchal has been arrested because of his friendship with Ms Adelkhah,” he added.

The lawyer said the two cases were still at the level of prosecutors and had not yet been sent to court.

“We are still in negotiations with judicial authorities and we hope misunderstandings in this regard will be removed, as up until now no reason has been given for the levelled allegations,” said Dehghan.

The French government has condemned the arrest of Marchal, a sociologist whose research focuses on civil wars in Africa.

“We urge the Iranian authorities to be transparent and act without delay to put an end to this unacceptable situation,” the foreign ministry said on October 16.

The arrest of Adelkhah, a specialist in Shiite Islam, was confirmed on July 16 by Iran’s judicial spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili, who gave no further details.

Her friends and colleagues in France have said she was accused of espionage.

Tehran, which does not recognize dual nationality, has criticized Paris for “unacceptable interference” in its domestic affairs after the French government sought consular access to Adelkhah.

The pair are not the only academics in Iranian custody.

On October 1, Iran confirmed the arrest of anthropologist Kameel Ahmady, reportedly a British-Iranian dual national.

source:AFP

Over 500 US soldiers, military equipment arrives in northern Syria base: Monitor US impeachment investigators want Bolton to testify

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”